The auctioneer exhorts the bid with a staccato voice, eyes darting around the room. A broad collection of racing people look on, some anxiously hanging on the bid, others waiting patiently for an upcoming item. Meanwhile, as the auction rolls on, families explore the vibrant downtown area, eyeing the holiday decorations or taking in the busy Circle Centre Mall.
It’s become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for many years at the Indianapolis Convention Center, and as the weather turns cool and the days grow short it’s time to do it all again.
This year will mark the 32nd Thanksgiving Weekend Racers Auction and Trade Show, an event that began by accident and is today an important outing for a significant number of race teams. The event kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 22, and concludes Saturday evening, Nov. 24.
The concept is simple: For sellers, it’s a chance to sell their used stuff at auction, and use the proceeds to buy new parts and pieces. For buyers, it’s a chance to pick up quality parts at a bargain.
While organizing things has always been a family effort, Donna Tyler leads the charge to make this event happen each year. For months leading up to the event, she works the phones to line up trade show exhibitors, hire the help, chase the logistics, place the advertising, and do the old-fashioned promoting that is required to make any such event possible.
Tyler, who is married to veteran USAC racer Brian Tyler, is the daughter of three-time ARCA champion Dave Dayton. Dayton was retiring in 1976, and he wanted to liquidate his ARCA operation. Donna Tyler was just a kid when her father put together the first auction — it was intended as a one-time event — in a small tent behind their race shop in Fortville, Ind.
“I can barely remember that first year,” she recalls. “We had a few hundred people maybe, and we sold every hot dog in Fortville, I remember that part because that was my job then, doing the concessions.
“It was originally only going to be our stuff, then someone called and asked if they could bring some things to sell, and it just took off from there. We decided to do another the following year, in a warehouse, and the following year we went to the Indiana State Fairgrounds. That’s when it really started to grow.”
The idea of holding such an event on a holiday weekend might seem like a hard sell, but instead of being an impediment, it’s actually turned into an annual holiday tradition for many racing families.
“We promote the family atmosphere,” says Tyler. “The Hyatt (located across the street from the event) and the convention center both offer a full traditional Thanksgiving meal, so nobody will miss that part of the weekend. Plus, the Hyatt has a wonderful pool, and kids have lots of fun.
“The annual lighting of the holiday display on Monument Circle happens on Friday night, and that’s a really exciting evening. There is so much to do in downtown Indianapolis, the family members have plenty of entertainment. We’ve got many families that have been with us for 20 years or more, and they’d have it no other way.”
In a world where technology is constantly changing the way we do things, Tyler admits that keeping a traditional event going is challenging, even for the strongest shows.
“You always think about how to do things differently,” she says. “In 32 years you can get stale if you’re not careful. The auction business sustains itself really well, and it always sells out. I’m really excited about this year. The trade show is more challenging, because you’ve got to find new things to draw more people in.”
In past years a host of seminars has been offered, and will return for 2007. A new addition will be the Speedway Illustrated Racers Meet A-Round The Table, featuring several prominent voices in the sport discussing a variety of topics on Friday and Saturday. Panelists include Larry Moore, Chris Paulsen, DeWaine McGunegill, B.J. McCammon, Sammy Speaks, Gerald Newton, and Karl Fredrickson.
As the days count down to the start of the event, Tyler shifts to a full-court press, chasing details right up to the start of the show.   
“I talk to my mom and dad daily. This has always been a family thing,” she says. “Dad puts the ideas out there, and I run with them. Mom is the buffer, and she’s the budget person. My brother Ken is an auctioneer by trade, and is heavily involved.
“I put all the legwork in prior to the event, and they are there by phone to help me. Then we all kick into our departments during the event.”
Tyler, who spent many years as a race tire dealer before she and her husband moved to North Carolina two years ago, has come a long way from a fresh-faced kid selling all the hot dogs in Fortville.
“I’m a different person because of doing this,” she insists. “The things I’ve learned, the things I’ve experienced, and the fact that so many people depend on this program as part of their racing program.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s a worthwhile thing.”